Spacer pad for containers



March 21, 1961 A. ABOLINS 7 SPACER PAD FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 20,1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

,4 NAP/F W A804 //V.S

Q Y QW March 21, 1961 A. ABOLINS 2,975,933

SPACER PAD FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 22 74. L 28 e2 9 SPACER PAD FOR CONTAINERS Andrew Abolins, Penndel, Pa., assignor to Strick Trailers, Philadelphia, Pa., a division of Fruehauf Trailer Co., a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 787,915

Claims. (Cl. 220-69) This invention relates to removable container-supporting and spacing members.

In the modern method of freight haulage known as containerized cargo, the containers, such as trailer bodies, are relatively large and when laden with cargo, assume gross weights in the many thousands of pounds. It becomes necessary at times to stack the containers on the ground or in the hull of a ship. If the container is positioned on the ground with its bottom resting thereon, the compression forces due to the great load will distort and damage .the container. In the vertically stacked condition where the bottom of an upper container rests on the top of a lower container, damage is likely to occur to both containers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide pads for spacing and supporting containers which eliminate damage to the containers as mentioned above, which pads are also readily and easily removable as is required in certain containerized cargo operations where the container must be mounted upon trailer running gear or on certain railroad fiat cars with no structures depending from the bottom of the container.

In the vertical stacking of containers in the hold of a ship, vertical angle bars are provided in the ship to restrain horizontal movement of the containers. For practical loading and unloading reasons, however, there is clearance between the containers and the angle bars. Because of this, pitching of the ship transmits horizontal shearing forces to the pins coupling the spa'cer pads to the bottoms of the containers. It is another object of this invention to provide spacer pads of such construction States Patent that the shearing forces are absorbed by components of g the pads other than the coupling pins.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spacer pad of the character described which is equipped with a secreted means for releasably locking the same in a position coupled to the bottom f a container o that tampering therewith is minimized.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a group perspective view of the pad;

Figure 2 is an assembled perspective view thereof;

. Figure 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing the pad interposed between the corners of vertically stacked containers;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the use of the pad to support a container on the ground;

Figure 5 is a perspective diagrammatic view of containers in the hold of a ship employing the pad;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an exploded section similar'to Figure 6 showing the pad in the unlocked position and uncoupled from the container; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout. The pad of the instant invention is intended for use with containers, preferably cargoladen containers such as trailer bodies, illustrative examples of said use being shown in Figures 3-5. In Figure 3, the pad 10 is interposed between the corner members 12 on the ends of vertical posts 14 of substantially rectangular containers 16 which are vertically stacked, and as will appear hereinafter, the pad is positively and removably coupled to the upper container and rests upon the lower container. As shown in Figure 5, the containers may be vertically stacked in the hold of a ship which is normally provided with vertical angle members 18 employed as a means to confine the containers. In Figure 4, the pad 10 is shown interposed between a container and the ground.

The pad comprises a base member 20 which is preferably provided with a central recess 22 opening through its bottom surface. Extending centrally through the base member is a bore 24- which terminates in an enlarged recess 26 that opens through the upper surface of the base member. Positioned in the bore 24 and fixed by any suitable means, as by welding, to the base 20 is a vertical coupling pin or rod 28 whose upper end carries an enlarged elongated head 30'.

Interposed between the head 30 and the surface 32 at the bottom of the enlargedrupper recess 26 is a member 34 which is rotatable relative to the base member 20. Said member 34 includes a lower disk-like plate 36 of lesser diameter than the recess 26 and of thickness approximating the depth of said recess. Upstanding from said plate 36 is a filler member 38 whose horizontal crosssection is substantially the same as that of the head 36 as is evident from Figures 1 and 2. The member 34 is provided with a central bore 39 of diameter somewhat exceeding that of the coupling pin 28 and which receives said pin.

Extending vertically through the member 34- and ofifset from its center is a bore 40 which opens through the lower surface of the disk-like member 36 but terminates short of the upper surface of the'filler member 38. At

- a predetermined position, the base member 20 is also provided with a vertical bore 42 which opens into the upper recess 26 and the lower recess 22. As will be seen in Figures 6 and 9, the bore 42 has an upper portion 44 of diameter equal to the diameter of the bore 40 and a lower portion 46 of lesser diameter for the reception of an appropriate tool 48. A locking pin 50 the bore 40 for a purpose soon to appear.

The corner pieces or castings 12 at the bottom of the container each include a recess 52 terminating in a reduced elongated slot 54 which opens through the corner piece. The length of the head 30 of the coupling pin is somewhat less than that of the slot 54 but greater than the width of said slot.

In use, when the head 30 is in longitudinal alignment with the filler member 38, the locking pin 50 in the bore 40 rests upon the surface 32 at the bottom of the upper recess 26 in the base member as shown in Figure 8. The bore 42 in the base member 20 is spaced therefrom, preferably With the container bottom accessible, as when the same is supported in a raised position by a lifting mechanism, the operator aligns the head 30 with the slot 54 and inserts the same therethrough until the head clears the slot at which point the corner piece rests upon the upper surface of the' base member. In this position, the filler member 38 has extended into the slot 54. Then the base member 20 is rotated, as shown in phantom lines in Figure 2, until the pin 50 falls into the is provided in upper portion 44 of the base member slot 42 whereby the member 34 is locked in the base member, at which point the head 30 traverses the container slot 54, as shown in Figure 7, thereby coupling the pad to the container. .With the pads coupled to the bottom of the container, the latter is lowered onto the ground or on other containers, such as in the hold of a ship. In this position, the locking pin 51 is secreted against tampering. When the container is again raised and it becomes necessary to remove the pads, as when the container is to be placed upon highway vehicle running gear or on certain flat railroad cars, the operator simply inserts an appropriate tool 48 through the portion 46 of the base member bore 42, lifting the locking pin 50 until it clears the surface 32 of the recess 26. A slight initial twist of the base member sufliciently holds the locking pin in the bore 40 of the disk-like member 34 to allow removal of the tool. Rotation of the base member is continued until the head 30 is aligned with the container slot 54 for removal of the pad.

Thus it will be seen that the pads are not only readily coupled and removed from the container, but also that horizontal shearing forces, for example as developed by the pitching of the ship, will be taken up by the base member 20 and the disk-like member 34 and not by the coupling pin 23-Whl0h is necessarily structurally weaker. In this connection, the clearance between the bore 39 and the coupling pin 28 should exceed that between the disk-like member 36 and the peripheral wall of the recess 26. Binding of the coupling pin in the container is eliminated because the horizontal cross-section of the head and filler member are substantially the same and these members are closely adjacent to each other so that when these members are aligned together they form a relatively continuous smooth outer surface and no portion of the head can hang up on an edge of the container slot 54. It is understood, of course, that the construction of the pads will be such as to permit them sufiiciently to support the container With a minimum of compression forces being transmitted directly to the bottom of the container.

Minor variations may be made by skilled artisans without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a container having a bottom wall, an elongated slot therethrough and a recess beyond said slot, a removable support pad comprising a base having an upstanding coupling pin fixed thereto and an en-. larged head on said pin, said head having a length less than that of said slot but greater than the width thereof, said head being disposed in said recess with the pin extending through said slot, a member rotatably mounted on said base freely embracing said pin and having an upstanding portion disposed in said slot adapted to engage the edges thereof to permit rotation of said base relative 4 to said member, and means operative between said base and said member to releasably lock said base and member together against relative rotation in the container coupling position wherein said head traverses said slot.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the horizontal cross-section of said upstanding portion of said member is substantially the same as the horizontal cross-section of said head.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said base includes' an upper surface with a recess therein, said coupling pin extending through and beyond said recess and said member is rotatably seated in said recess with its upstanding portion extending beyond said upper surface of said base. 7

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall of said container is substantially flat and said base includes an upper surface facing said head having substantially flat portions adapted to engage said bottom wall of said container and a bottom surface having flat portions adapted to rest upon a substantially fiat support or a substantially flat wall of another container.

5. In combination with a container having a bottom wall, an elongated slot therethrough and a recess beyond said slot, a removable support pad comprising a base hav ing an upstanding coupling pin fixed thereto and an enlarged head on said pin, said head having a length less than that of said slot but greater than the width thereof, said head being disposed in said recess with the pin extending through said slot, a member rotatably mounted on said base freely embracing said pin and having an upstanding portion disposed in said slot adapted to engage the edges thereof to permit rotation of said base relative to said member, and'means operative between said base and said member to releasably lock said base and member together against relative rotation in the container coupling position wherein said head traverses said slot, said releasable lock means including a vertical bore in said member opening on said base, a locking pin slidably positioned in said bore, and a further vertical bore in said base opening beneath said member and having a shoulder therein, said locking ,pin being adapted to enter said further bore, rest on said shoulder therein and restrain relative movement of said-rotatable member on said base when said head traverses said slot in the coupled position, said further bore opening through the bottom surface of said base for access of a locking pin lifting tool to effect uncoupling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,429,190 McArthur Oct. 14, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,026,519 France Feb. 4, 1953 

